Mabuhay Treats relaunched at Café Alfredo

The FEU Community Extension Services (CES) has relaunched its Mabuhay Treats Products at Café Alfredo as it continues to offer community-made crafts to the FEU community and visitors. 

The program integrates academic service-learning with sustainable livelihood development by partnering with jail-based communities and the Mangyan indigenous community. Through Mabuhay Treats, students from the Tourism Management program engage in real-world applications of branding, inventory management, and ethical entrepreneurship while supporting marginalized groups through income-generating opportunities. 

Products under Project HOPE include crochet items such as keychains, coin purses, and hair accessories; bayong purses and bags; beadwork pieces like necklaces and bracelets; and tote bags. Project Mangyan features handcrafted beadwork products including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and keychains. All items are displayed and sold at Café Alfredo under the Mabuhay Treats brand. 

The operational process begins with CES coordinating production with its partner communities and issuing a delivery receipt upon turnover of finished items. Products are then delivered to Tams Travel Hub, where staff verify and log them into the Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management inventory sheet for monitoring. Sales transactions are processed through Café Alfredo’s point-of-sale system, while Tams Travel Hub oversees daily stock monitoring and prepares monthly inventory and consignment reports for CES. 

Partner communities receive their piece-rate payments upon turnover of their products, independent of sales performance, said CES.  

The initiative strengthens FEU’s mission of service by ensuring that communities are fairly compensated and continuously supported through feedback on consumer preferences and product development. 

Beyond its commercial component, the brand provides meaningful learning outcomes for students. Participants gain knowledge in community extension principles and develop awareness of indigenous cultural heritage and socio-economic contexts. The initiative also fosters values formation, including social responsibility, ethical financial practices, cultural sensitivity, and sustainability advocacy. 

Students enhance competencies in communication and branding through culturally sensitive marketing campaigns, heritage-based packaging design, and consumer engagement strategies. They also practice fair trade principles and responsible sourcing aligned with eco-friendly initiatives. 

In terms of community impact, partner groups receive fair compensation and livelihood opportunities, while benefiting from structured feedback mechanisms that help improve product quality and marketability. The program supports skills transfer, empowerment, and inclusion among indigenous and marginalized communities. 

Looking ahead, CES plans to expand Mabuhay Treats by broadening community partnerships, diversifying product lines, and exploring regional distribution through cafés, hotels, and tourism hubs beyond FEU. The initiative could also be embedded further into academic programs through service-learning modules, capstone projects, and faculty-led research. Sustainability efforts, including eco-friendly packaging and digital marketing platforms, are also in development.